Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Still Got It: Ding Dong Lounge
By
Ben Yakas
Published Mar 27, 2011
Modified Mar 27, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Yakas
Published Mar 27, 2011
Modified Mar 27, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
In this city, restaurants and bars come and go faster than you can say "sustainable locavore burger." And even though there are great new additions to the culinary landscape popping up every week, you've gotta give kudos to anyone who can stick it out for over a year. With that in mind, we bring you Still Got It, our tribute to establishments that continue to serve mouthwatering meals and drinks long after the buzz has faded—or if the lingering hype is still justified.
There are certain parts of the city which seem completely devoid of decent places to drink. Oh sure, there are dozens of bars on Amsterdam between the 70s and 90s, but unless you really enjoy rubbing elbows with overgrown frat guys at Jake's Dilemma, you'd be hard pressed to find an uncrowded dive to spend a couple hours. This is a major problem all over the Upper West Side, leading most residents to travel downtown for their drinking. But there is one dimly-lit dive which is doing its best to create the kind of crappy atmosphere we desperately desire in our watering holes: Ding Dong Lounge.
It's the rarest of rare things in the Columbia University area: a relatively cheap dive with oodles of personality that is almost never filled (and certainly never with Columbia kids). There's no food, but during daily happy hours from 4 p.m. - 8 p.m., cans are $2, tap beer is $4, and well drinks are $5. The exposed brick walls of the bar has vintage band posters hanging on the walls (including a very cool Replacements one); it's very dark, filled with ill-placed pipes, a Ms. Pac-Man machine, and a pool table too close to the wall. A few times a month they'll have bands play the space (including an amazing recent double billing of Ed Askew and Gary Higgins), but more often than not, there is a DJ playing a fantastic mixture of punk, classic rock and new wave music just a bit too loud. Some point to this as the bar's fatal flaw, but it is exactly one of the reasons we love it so much: the loud music drives away a huge amount of people, keeping it blissfully local. The bartenders are friendly, the regulars are boisterous, and there is certainly no better place to find yourself shitfaced at 4 a.m. on the UWS.
929 Columbus Ave (between 105th St & 106th St) (212) 663-2600
Tagged
ding dong lounge
still got it
Upper West Side
uws
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
Where are the cheapest drinks in NYC? A new report details the city's average prices.
The median price of a cocktail in the city is now $16, and $9 for a draft beer.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published Oct 19, 2026
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
Food
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .